Ben Harrison is pursuing his graduation at a renowned college in Australia. In the first year of university, he was having trouble managing the part-time job and the back-to-back homework papers that he needed to submit urgently. But he wasn’t able to produce the tasks on or before time. This led to his poor grades in class.
Like Ben, many of you have been through such situations. But preparing your homework is never easy, especially because of the complex topics and the elaborate guidelines you receive. Now, when your grades are at stake, you have to consider how to submit all your homework papers faster that too without compromising on the quality. So, if you’ve been thinking, “How do I do my homework quickly?” we’ve got some ideas you can use to work on your homework.
1. Make a plan
Most of you would just randomly start working on the first papers that come to your mind or the first thing you pull out of your backpack. But there’s a better way to approach your tasks, especially when you have to get them done faster.
Know how much time you have to do your homework, and prepare a list of all the tasks you’ll need to complete. Determine how much time it’ll take to complete each paper to check if you’d need more time to work on them.
You need to be realistic. Once you create this list, you can work straight through without worrying about what you should do next. It’ll also be extremely satisfying to check things off after each task you finish. You can do this planning the old school pen and paper way, or you can use apps like Wunderlist, Todoist, etc.
2. Prioritize the tasks based on the date and importance
As you list out your homework in the planner throughout the week, make sure to highlight high priority tasks by writing an “A” next to it, write a “C” next to low priority tasks. Write “B” next to the tasks that fall somewhere in between. A paper that has to be completed by the next day would have to be prioritized over one that’s due next week. Also, see to it that you prioritize bigger tasks over smaller ones.
A ten-page term paper that’s due in a week that you’ve just started should be labeled an “A” or while a short five-question worksheet due in three days may be labeled a “C”.
3. Set a timer
At the beginning of each paper, you can set the timer for a specific time within which you’re aiming to complete your work. While writing the homework, you can frequently check the timer to stay aware of how much time has passed and how much is left. It’ll help you understand if you’re investing too much time into something, and will quickly drag you back into focus when you get distracted.
If one kind of homework paper is taking more time than the others, it would be wise to ask for additional help in that area from your teacher or a classmate.
4. Prepare a detailed outline for your paper
You may feel writing an outline will only take up more time when you’re working on homework. However, having a clear structure helps you focus and write your paper more quickly by giving you a sort of blueprint to follow once you begin writing. This sense of direction will prevent you from unnecessarily rambling in your essay.
You can create the outline in any style you prefer (bullet points, a diagram, brief sentences, etc.). Just write down the main points relevant to the topic of your homework paper. If you have confusion over how to prepare the structure, then check out the dissertation or essay structure templates or samples online.
5. Don’t be bothered by the minor details
Your write-up will have to be concise and relevant if you want to score well, but that doesn’t mean you have to be cautious over every word choice. If you notice yourself staring at a sentence, unable to find a word that sounds perfect, just choose something quickly and move on.
You wouldn’t want the whole writing process to take too long. If you have time to spare after you’re done writing, you can go back and change the minor details easily. Primarily, your focus should be to present the main ideas. This will keep you motivating and moving.
6. Get organized and keep all your supplies close
To avoid wasting time looking for things, have all your books, papers, and other stationery items readily available right where you can reach them. Clean out your backpack and binder(s) every week or month to stay organized.
Consider creating space for folders dedicated to different subjects and notebooks into one big binder. This way, all of your work will be in one place.
7. Limit distractions until you’re finished working
Homework tips for students – There’s no dearth of distractions and students are often easily distracted. If you have the same issue, then make a conscious effort not to get distracted too easily. Put your phone on silent and keep it another room, log out of social media sites, and switch the TV off if it’s running in the background.
Not many people can work properly with music playing in the background. If you like listening to music while you work but can’t seem to focus, try turning it off for an hour to check if your concentration improves.
8. Proofread your paper thoroughly
After you’ve carried out any organizational and/or formatting changes to your homework, read through your homework quickly to rectify spelling and grammatical errors, and any other minor issues. If you’re proofreading from a hard copy of your paper, use a pen or pencil to write down notes about the changes you need to make on the paper.
A quick and precise way to proofread is to read your paper out loud. This tends to be the easiest and swiftest way to spot any mistakes.
Parting thoughts,
If you struggle through preparing your academic papers faster, then it’s imperative that you work on your time management skills. The simple ideas discussed in this post will allow you to work smarter as you put together your academic papers.
